John McEwen

Sir John McEwen
Image of John McEwen in 1957
McEwen in 1957
18th Prime Minister of Australia
In office
17 December 1967 – 10 January 1968
MonarchElizabeth II
Governor‑GeneralLord Casey
Preceded byHarold Holt
Succeeded byJohn Gorton
Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
In office
10 January 1968 – 5 February 1971
Prime MinisterJohn Gorton
Preceded byOffice established; Himself (de facto, 1967)
Succeeded byDoug Anthony
De facto
26 March 1958 – 17 December 1967
Prime MinisterRobert Menzies
Harold Holt
Preceded byArthur Fadden
Succeeded byHimself (1968)
5th Leader of the Country Party
In office
26 March 1958 – 5 February 1971
DeputyCharles Davidson
Charles Adermann
Doug Anthony
Preceded byArthur Fadden
Succeeded byDoug Anthony
Deputy Leader of the Country Party
In office
22 September 1943 – 26 March 1958
LeaderArthur Fadden
Preceded byArthur Fadden
Succeeded byCharles Davidson
Cabinet posts
Minister for Trade and Industry
In office
18 December 1963 – 5 February 1971
Prime MinisterRobert Menzies
Harold Holt
Himself
John Gorton
Preceded byHimself (Trade)
Succeeded byDoug Anthony
Minister for Trade
In office
11 January 1956 – 18 December 1963
Prime MinisterRobert Menzies
Preceded byNeil O'Sullivan (Trade and Customs)
Succeeded byHimself (Trade and Industry)
Minister for Commerce and Agriculture
In office
19 December 1949 – 11 January 1956
Prime MinisterRobert Menzies
Preceded byReg Pollard
Succeeded byWilliam McMahon
Minister for Air
In office
28 October 1940 – 7 October 1941
Prime MinisterRobert Menzies
Arthur Fadden
Preceded byArthur Fadden
Succeeded byArthur Drakeford
Minister for Civil Aviation
In office
28 October 1940 – 7 October 1941
Prime MinisterRobert Menzies
Arthur Fadden
Preceded byArthur Fadden
Succeeded byArthur Drakeford
Minister for External Affairs
In office
14 March 1940 – 28 October 1940
Prime MinisterRobert Menzies
Preceded byHenry Gullett
Succeeded byFrederick Stewart
Minister for the Interior
In office
29 November 1937 – 26 April 1939
Prime MinisterJoseph Lyons
Earle Page
Preceded byThomas Paterson
Succeeded byHarry Foll
Parliamentary roles
Father of the House
In office
30 September 1969 – 1 February 1971
Preceded byJoe Clark
Succeeded byArthur Calwell
Member of the
House of Representatives
In office
10 December 1949 – 1 February 1971
Preceded byconstituency established
Succeeded byBruce Lloyd
ConstituencyMurray
In office
23 October 1937 – 10 December 1949
Preceded byWilliam Hutchinson
Succeeded byWilliam Bostock
ConstituencyIndi
In office
15 September 1934 – 23 October 1937
Preceded byWilliam Hill
Succeeded byconstituency abolished
ConstituencyEchuca
Personal details
Born(1900-03-29)29 March 1900
Chiltern, Victoria, Australia
Died20 November 1980(1980-11-20) (aged 80)
Toorak, Victoria, Australia
Political partyCountry
Spouses
(m. 1921; died 1967)
Mary Byrne
(m. 1968)
EducationWangaratta State School
Dandenong State School
OccupationFarmer, politician

Sir John McEwen GCMG CH (29 March 1900 – 20 November 1980) was an Australian politician and farmer who served as the 18th prime minister of Australia from 1967 to 1968, in a caretaker capacity following the disappearance of prime minister Harold Holt. He was the leader of the Country Party from 1958 to 1971, serving as the inaugural deputy prime minister of Australia from 1968 to 1971.

McEwen was born in Chiltern, Victoria. He was orphaned at the age of seven and raised by his grandmother, initially in Wangaratta and then in Dandenong. McEwen left school when he was 13 and joined the Australian Army at the age of 18, but the war ended before his unit was shipped out. He was nonetheless eligible for a soldier settlement scheme, and selected a property at Stanhope. He established a dairy farm, but later bought a larger property and farmed beef cattle.

After several previous unsuccessful candidacies, McEwen was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1934 federal election. He was first elevated to cabinet by Joseph Lyons in 1937. McEwen became deputy leader of the Country Party in 1943, under Arthur Fadden. He replaced Fadden as leader in 1958, and remained in the position until his retirement from politics in 1971. He served in parliament for 36 years in total, spending a record 25 years as a government minister.

The Liberal-Country Coalition returned to power in 1949, initially under Robert Menzies and then under Harold Holt. McEwen came to have a major influence on economic policy, particularly in the areas of agriculture, manufacturing, and trade. As soon as McEwen became the leader of the Country Party, he became the de facto deputy prime minister.

In December 1967, Harold Holt disappeared and was presumed dead while in office. As the de facto deputy prime minister, McEwen was commissioned as caretaker prime minister while the Liberal Party elected a new leader. He was 67 at the time, the oldest person to become prime minister and only the third from the Country Party. McEwen ceded power to John Gorton after 23 days in office in January 1968, and in recognition of his service was appointed deputy prime minister, the first time that position had been formally created. He was Australia's third shortest serving prime minister, after Earle Page and Frank Forde. He remained as deputy prime minister until his retirement from politics in 1971.